If you find yourself playing Switch on the go more than on your TV, you might want to check out Nintendo's newly announced version of the system. Nintendo Switch Lite has been revealed as a device specifically designed for playing Switch games in handheld mode. It will be available in yellow, gray, and turquoise, and it's coming to stores on September 20 for $199.99.

The Lite is smaller than the regular Switch with a 5.5" touchscreen, has no kickstand, and won't support video output to TV. There are no detachable Joy-Con controllers either, but since it's handheld-focused it has a slightly longer battery life. You can read more about the specific differences on Nintendo's website. Most importantly, it has a real D-pad.

Smaller screen, less features, almost the same price. That’s a real winner. It will sell like hotcakes.

The rumors of a smaller and lightweight Switch have turned out to be true and the Switch Lite will be released later this year. On the surface, this may look like a strange move but now that the 3DS is winding down, Nintendo needs a replacement.

The biggest mistake people made about the original Switch was that they thought it would kill off the 3DS. That the portability of the Switch would make the 3DS redundant, without realizing what the 3DS actually offered to players.

Put simply, the 3DS, in Japan at least, was aimed at a younger demographic of gamers, as was the DS, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy before it. The lower price point of the 3DS coupled with its compact and lightweight profile made it ideal for kids in the playground.

This is why franchises like Pokémon and Yo-kai Watch found such huge success on Nintendo’s various handheld platforms. Simply because kids could afford them and carry them easily around.

So when the Switch came along, adults looked at handhelds like the 3DS through their eyes and didn’t get what was really happening.

However, what’s interesting with the Switch Lite is that not only does it appeal to a younger demographic of gamers with the lower price point and compact size but it also offers an already large library of games ready to go.

It’s also not at all surprising that the Switch Lite will be released alongside the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield, as the Pokémon series has driven Nintendo’s handhelds since the original Game Boy games.

Personally, I think the Switch Lite is a shrewd and insightful piece of hardware for younger gamers. So while people who already bought a Switch won’t be picking up a Switch Lite, it was never really intended for them anyway.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatrickRes9

Look at the "guns blazing" avatar and how direct his attempts to stir the pot are.

I'm kinda interested in getting one. I don't like the feel of the regular, clunky Switch in handheld mode, and for an avid Vita gamer like me, this Switch Lite could be an interesting alternative. Then again, most Switch titles I'm interested in would be games I play with my kid. No video output and no alternate control methods will probably be deal breakers for me...

Anyway, I'll wait until it's available and try it for myself, then make a decision.

__________________Buying games and playing games are two different hobbies.

No TV OUT / DOCK is seriously lame. That's what makes the Switch great is it's flexibility...

Yeah, this is going to be a weird sell. All of the ads you see for it extol the virtue of the Switch being something that you can play on the television and hand-held and with no-additional cost multi-player.

At least with the 2DS/3DS you couldn't really advertise 3D, so losing this feature as not a major disadvantage to the lower-end device. But the Switch Lite is missing two huge features which are advertised rather heavily.

This is the TOY version, for the KIDS. Like the 2DS is. Don't you guys get it? Nintendo is a TOY company. They will also make Amiibos forever as a result, long after the toys to life competition has already bit the dust. (It already has.)

It's not a weird sell at all if you understand the demographic they're going for.

If you're over 20-25 years old... you probably ain't it.

Quote:

Put simply, the 3DS, in Japan at least, was aimed at a younger demographic of gamers, as was the DS, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy before it. The lower price point of the 3DS coupled with its compact and lightweight profile made it ideal for kids in the playground.

This is why franchises like Pokémon and Yo-kai Watch found such huge success on Nintendo’s various handheld platforms. Simply because kids could afford them and carry them easily around.

Quote:

However, what’s interesting with the Switch Lite is that not only does it appeal to a younger demographic of gamers with the lower price point and compact size but it also offers an already large library of games ready to go.

It’s also not at all surprising that the Switch Lite will be released alongside the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield, as the Pokémon series has driven Nintendo’s handhelds since the original Game Boy games.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatrickRes9

Look at the "guns blazing" avatar and how direct his attempts to stir the pot are.

No TV OUT / DOCK is seriously lame. That's what makes the Switch great is it's flexibility...

Last time I recall this being addressed was back in 2017 I believe, at the time Nintendo had a survey and the results were that a disproportionately large amount of people played their switch primarily and in many cases exclusively in handheld mode. So I'm guessing further research must have concluded that releasing a system that's only handheld might make sense, particularly at a lower price point.

It's not a weird sell at all if you understand the demographic they're going for.

It's not weird to make a lower priced Switch and decrease features. But it is weird that you remove one of the most functional aspects of the Switch (docking to the television) while also still keeping other aspects (being able to use multiple controllers). They should have included the ability to use it docked to get the increased fidelity and power associated with dock play.

This is not like the 3DS and 2DS were you lost an arguably useless feature. This is a major reduction in hardware functionality that can actually lead to lazier software development as developers will look at just making games for portable play, with little to no interest in optimizing/improving the docked experience.

It's not weird to make a lower priced Switch and decrease features. But it is weird that you remove one of the most functional aspects of the Switch (docking to the television) while also still keeping other aspects (being able to use multiple controllers). They should have included the ability to use it docked to get the increased fidelity and power associated with dock play.

This is not like the 3DS and 2DS were you lost an arguably useless feature. This is a major reduction in hardware functionality that can actually lead to lazier software development as developers will look at just making games for portable play, with little to no interest in optimizing/improving the docked experience.

They're primarily going after children that like to play Pokemon while hanging out at the playground.

Last I heard they don't use too many tv's in that sort of environment.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatrickRes9

Look at the "guns blazing" avatar and how direct his attempts to stir the pot are.

But they will eventually go home, and there is value in potentially using the device on the television. This is why every single Switch commercial you have seen over the past two years has shown the device being used docked and portable. There has not been a single ad that has featured the Switch just docked or just portable.

So they are going against two years worth of advertising and expected hardware use.